Acute injuries 

Eg, knocks, sprains and bruises with some bleeding in the underlying tissues. 

Chronic injuries 

Eg, subtle and slow to develop. May come and go. 

Warm and cold use

Warm use: 

Reduces bleeding into soft tissue 

Prevents or reduce swelling 

Reduce muscle pain and spasm 

Reduce pain by numbing area 

Cold use: 

Blood vessels dialte bringing more blood into the area 

Gives a direct soothing effect 

Helps relieve pain and spasm

Helps loosen tissue and relax injured areas